The Emma Smith Adventures Series 5
by CeriseHood5050
Summary: Now that Agnes is gone, Emma is about to settle down with her family. But trouble always finds its way to her.
1. The Curse of Clyde Langer

While my children are at school, I'm sitting at my desk, not doing very much. "You okay?" Mum asks. I nod, absent-mindedly. Recently, I've been doing that a lot. Ever since Agnes arrived and tried to kill me, I've been losing my train of thought. Maybe I need to see a psychiatrist or something like that. If I'm having these problems at thirteen, I'm dreading what will happen when I'm older.

I'm about to call the psychiatrist to book an appointment when Mr Smith tells us to go outside. Almost immediately, a fish hits me on the head. "What on Earth?" Mummy opens her watch to scan for alien activity. "This looks fishy to me."  
"And here was me thinking that it was only Clyde who made the jokes," Mum smiles.

"Mr Smith, I need you," Mummy calls when Jessica, Alistair, Sky and Lucy return from school. Clyde and Rani come over to see if Mr Smith found anything.  
"Yes, Sarah Jane. How can I help you?"  
"Have you got a good recipe for the biggest fish pie in history?" Clyde jokes.  
"I have been monitoring reports of the unusual storm over London."  
"I love this planet," Lucy smiles. "Just when you think you get fish in the sea, they start coming out of the sky."  
"Through the ages, there have been many reports of fish raining from the sky. There is a meteorological explanation."  
"What, you mean it's natural?" I say, astounded.  
"Storms and tornadoes suck fish out of the water into the upper atmosphere. They freeze, then later, they come raining down," Mum explains.  
"Yeah, but those fish are small," Mummy says. "Wouldn't satisfy next door's cat. Mr Smith, the fish today, they were this big." Mummy uses her hands to estimate the size of the fish. Alistair motions for her to go smaller, which she does. "No? Well, still not natural. Mr Smith, I want you to scan for alien energies."  
"Of course."

"Oh, Mr Smith," Clyde says. "You'd better cast your net pretty wide." We all laugh, even though Rani tells us not to encourage him.  
"Sarah Jane, you may be interested to know that the Museum of Culture is currently staging an exhibition of totem poles. Among them is what has become known as the Totem of the Lost Tribe."  
"Oh, my dad wants to see that!" Rani says. "Said they found it in a cave, like it been hidden."  
"I still don't get the connection," Mummy sighs.  
"The totem pole was discovered in the Mojave Desert. A legend surrounding its discovery suggests that when it was first removed from the cave, a storm came out of nowhere and it rained fish." We all turn to Mummy, who looks interested.

"Let's check it out," she says. We all head out of the door into town.  
"So, what's in a museum?" Sky asks.  
"Dead things, mostly," Clyde says.  
"And people like to look at dead things?"  
"Isn't that a bit weird?" Lucy asks.  
"If you ask me, yeah," Clyde agrees.  
"Museums help preserve our past," I say. "They're fascinating places- sometimes."  
"Mum and Dad met in a museum," Rani says.  
"Oh, how romantic. Though I never saw Gita as the museum type."  
"It was raining."  
"That would explain it." Mum, Mummy and Rani head inside.

"You got any spare change?" A girl asks Clyde. "Just enough for a sandwich, please?"  
"Yeah, sure," Clyde agrees, giving her his spare change. I open my purse and offer her a twenty-pound note.  
"Cheers," she smiles, picking up her sleeping bag before walking away.  
"Why did she want money?" Sky asks.  
"It's probably because she's got nowhere to go," I say, gently. "No home to go back to, and she'll need all of the help she can get."  
"Why did you give her some?" Lucy asks.  
"It's probably not her fault," Alistair points out. "We shouldn't judge others because of their circumstances." We enter the museum, spotting the totem pole when we enter the exhibit.

"Isn't it pretty?" Lucy asks.  
"I think the word you're looking for is 'creepy'," Sky says. "Look at those faces."  
"There really shouldn't be anything sinister about a totem pole," Mum says. "They were generally a kind of storybook carved from cedar trees as a representation of myths or family histories."  
"Well, I'm glad they're not my family," Clyde says, relieved. "You're a funny-looking bunch, aren't you?" As Clyde touches the totem pole, he gains a splinter.

"We would rather you didn't touch the exhibits." A woman says.  
"I'm sorry, Clyde didn't mean any harm," I say.  
"Clyde Langer. I'm sorry. I just… I love art, even when it does bite back."  
"Well, it looks like you came off worse," the woman smiles, relieved.  
"Oh, did you get a big splinter, you big baby?" Rani asks.  
"My name's Sarah Jane Smith-White. I'm a journalist."  
"Doctor Samantha Madigan. I run the Anthropology Department here. I suppose you made the connection between the totem pole and the fish raining from the skies today, then?"  
"So it was the totem pole that caused it," Sky realises.  
"No, of course not," Madigan chuckles. I already don't like her- Sky was taking her literally. I've still not taught my children about sarcasm yet. Besides, Sky appreciates alien life, not everyone is as open as her. Clyde pretends that she isn't with us, but Mum quickly saves the day by saying that her granddaughter has a sense of humour.  
"Do I?"

"Have to say, I couldn't wish for a better publicity stunt. Maybe Hetocumtek is on our side," Madigan smiles.  
"I'm sorry?" Mummy asks. "Why Hetocumtek?"  
"According to legend, Hetocumtek was a vicious warrior god who descended from the skies and tried to enslave the people of the Great Plains. But the story goes that the tribes' greatest medicine men came together and tricked Hetocumtek, imprisoning him in a totem pole."  
"What, this totem pole?" I ask.  
"Well, it is only a story. Now, if you'll excuse me."  
"So, what do you think, Sarah Jane?" Rani asks as Jessica's face turns blank. Alistair, Sky and I turn to her. She says something about a baby called Mary coming before walking away. Mum and Mummy move away, followed by Rani and Clyde, who finally got the splinter out of his finger.

"You were looking through my things?" Lucy bursts out, angry as I pass the bedroom of my children. Peeking in, I see Lucy glaring angrily at Jessie, Alistair and Sky.  
"I had a vision about Mary, and I-" Jessica tries to explain.  
"Nobody touches my things!" Lucy slaps her sister.  
"LUCY!" I snarl. "If you can't be kind to your siblings, then you'll have to go elsewhere. You've been fine up until now, what's wrong with you?"  
"You're not my mother." Those four words stab at my heart like a knife, over and over. Lucy's words repeat themselves in my head. _You're not my mother, you're not my mother, you're not my mother._ With that, Lucy storms out of the room.

I collapse to the floor in despair. Lucy's blazing eyes are copied into my sight. Her hatred for me boiled over at that moment.  
"What happened?" Mum asks, running in.  
"Lucy caught us looking through one of her DVDs," Alistair explains. "She got outraged, and then… she said the most hurtful thing to Mummy. She said that Mummy isn't her mother."  
"That little madam needs a good talking to."  
"She ran off, even I don't know where she is. I can't read her mind now."

"Do we have any idea where she went?" I ask. Jessica spots a map open on Lucy's desk, with a city circled in red ink.  
"She's going to Swansea."  
"What?" Mum asks.

The next morning, Clyde comes in before Jessica, Alistair and Sky go to school. "Hi, there," he says. "What's the weather forecast for today? Raining cats and dogs?"  
"Sunny and bright, apparently," Mummy smiles. "Mr Smith couldn't find any energy regarding the storm yesterday, so, for once, we can step down."  
"Well, at least there's nothing alien about it. Where's Lucy?"

"She ran off yesterday," Jessica says. "We think she's gone to Swansea, but we can't be sure."  
"Why do you think that she's going to Swansea?"  
"That's what she circled on this map." Alistair shows it to him. He stops. "I can hear someone. I don't know who, but they're in Gloustershire, 1549."  
"Is it Lucy?"  
"No, I lost connection with her yesterday. It's someone else."  
"What are they thinking about?" I ask, curious.  
"They're looking for a family to love them. She killed her mother in childbirth, her father executed less than a year later."  
"Who is it?" Jessica asks when she stops. She has another vision.

"Alistair, the person you're thinking about, that's Mary."  
"Who's Mary?" Rani asks as she enters the house.  
"She'll join our family in 2013. I've seen her with Alistair, Sky and me, but not Lucy. I don't think Lucy wants to be part of our family anymore."  
"So, Lucy could've gone to Swansea to escape from you?" Clyde asks.  
"There could be more reason for that," Jessica shrugs. "Anyway, Clyde, you look like you want to show us something."  
"I've done something for Lucy, but I don't think I can really give it to her if she's gone, can I?"  
"We'll keep hold of it for her in case she ever comes back," I smile. Clyde produces a comic he drew himself out of his bag.  
"The Silver Bullet. Lucy said she wanted to see the latest comic I finished, and this is it."  
"That's really good, Clyde," Mummy smiles. "The world better watch out, Clyde Langer is on his way." In an instant, Rani changes dramatically.

"You get away from me!"  
"What?" Mummy asks, confused.  
"Leave me alone!" Rani yells at Clyde.  
"Rani, what's wrong with you?"  
"What's going on? What did I do? I didn't do anything!"  
"You're right," I tell Clyde.  
"Rani, we're mates."  
"You're mad if you think I'd be any mate of yours. I hate you!"  
"Rani…"  
"Rani, get out," Mummy says.

"What?" Rani asks.  
"If you're going to take that attitude with Clyde, then you don't belong here," I say. "We're Child's Torchwood, and we stick together. Yet it's like you'd rather abuse your position of power and trust rather than doing your job. I'll give you the rest of the day to prove yourself worthy of the position and to rebuild your friendship with Clyde. If you don't, I might have to remove you from the team."  
"You can do what you like, but I'm not Clyde's friend, not now, not ever." Rani storms out of the house as Clyde calls Luke, telling him about the situation. Luke promises to try to get down to London by the end of the day.

"I'm going to head back home, tell Mum what's going on," Clyde says.  
"If you need somewhere to stay, you can come here," Mummy promises.  
"Thanks, Sarah Jane. I'll be back soon." Clyde heads out the door as Jessie begins to see the future.  
"It's to do with the totem pole, Hetocumtek. It placed a curse on Clyde's name so that it can come into the present day and destroy Earth."  
"What do we do?" I ask.  
"We need Clyde. He'll come back in three, two, one…" the door opens.

"Sarah Jane?" Clyde asks.  
"How did it go?" Mum asks.  
"It seems like my name is cursed," he says. "But you lot haven't reacted. Everyone had been human. But then it wouldn't make sense with Sarah Jane, as you're still human."  
"It must be because I'm in a relationship with Sarah Jane," Mum sits him down. "Love between a Qetesh and any other being is powerful enough to stand against any curse, as is any product of that relationship. That's why we haven't reacted, and why Emma's children haven't reacted, but Rani has. It's got to be that as I don't know any other explanation."  
"Then we should check out the museum, that's where I got the splinter." Mummy and Clyde go together to find out what's going on while Mum checks with Mr Smith for alien energies at the totem pole.

I'm in my children's room, searching for anything that mentions Mary, even if it's unlikely. Jessie gave me her date of birth as 1548, and her mother was Catherine Parr. If she's coming into the family, I want to know what I can about her. I open one of the books Lucy owns, and I only discover a little. She disappeared in 1550. How am I meant to find out more?

When Mummy and Clyde return without any answers, they consult Mr Smith again before my children arrive back from school. "We should report Lucy as missing," Alistair considers. "She's high up, so people will search for her." Mr Smith contacts the police with Lucy's information. A night passes, and Clyde's unable to go home. Mum and Mummy let him sleep in the guest room, so Clyde has somewhere to stay.

The next afternoon, Doctor Madigan calls Mummy in, asking if she saw something like lightening bursting out of a totem pole. We all go to the museum together. "The myth says the medicine men of the Great Plains trapped the god Hetocumtek in the totem pole, but warns that he will find a way to escape if the totem pole ever fell back into the hands of men."  
"I got a splinter," Clyde realises. "This could link to the legend. As I touched it, Hetocumtek cursed me so my human friends would turn on me when I said my name. Could that be possible?"  
"It sounds plausible," Madigan considers.  
"Do you know any way of reversing it? Did the legend say anything about that?"  
"It did, yes," she agrees. "All it says is that person needs to repeat their name to the totem pole. Now, if you'll excuse me." As Doctor Madigan walks away, I text Jessie with our address so she, Alistair and Sky can find us.

"Rani? We need you at the museum," Sky talks into her phone as they walk in. "Don't ask why. Just come." Lucy is with them.  
"Lucy?" Clyde asks, turning.  
"Don't think that this means I'll move back in," Lucy snaps. "I'm here for Clyde, then I'm going."  
"At least let us explain, won't you?" I ask.  
"You've already replaced me with a baby. Don't lie, Mummy. You care for Mary more than you do the rest of us."  
"That's a lie!" Alistair snarls. "Mummy cares about all of us."  
"Alistair's right," I agree. "I would never want to leave you out, Lucy, never!"

"Listen, can we save this conversation for later?" Clyde asks. We nod, silent. "The psychophonic curse must be reversed. Now that's one tongue twister you don't want to say." We all grin. Clyde turns to the totem pole. "You tried to ruin my life. To take away everything and everyone that was most important to me. But I'm a survivor, and you failed, you big plank. My name's Clyde Langer!" Clyde places his hands on the totem pole. "My name is Clyde Langer! MY NAME IS CLYDE LANGER!" The totem pole disappears, as does the mark the splinter left on Clyde's finger. "Team Sarah Jane?" Mummy smiles as we all hug Clyde. Rani kisses him.

Jessica's eyes zone out. "The future is set. Mary will come."  
"Who's Mary?" Rani asks.  
"A baby, the lost daughter of Thomas Seymour and Catherine Parr. All I can tell is that Lucy isn't there. The twins that the Trickster will take over, it's Sky and Lucy. Sky's still there, but Lucy isn't."  
"So, I sacrifice myself to protect the universe?" Lucy asks.  
"As far as I know, yes."  
"I'd rather die protecting the universe than run away. When is it?"  
"Summer this year."  
"Well, Lucy, you better make the most of the next few months," I advise her. Lucy nods, apologising for what she said.  
"Are you going to kick me out?"  
"Of course not. You're a Smith-White, Lucy, whether you like it or not, and Smith-Whites always stick together." Lucy smiles before we say goodbye to Clyde, and he heads home.


	2. The Man Who Never Was

Luke is coming home at the weekend. He _had_ told Mum and Mummy to not worry about going shopping, but they insisted, so they did. Now that Luke and Maria are at home, we are in the attic, with Rani bringing up the Serf board, saying that if Mr Smith will be nasty about K-9, who remained at Oxford, then we'll replace him with one. Jessica's vision clouds again. She's having yet another vision.

"Anything?" Lucy asks as Jessica grabs a blank pad and a pencil before rapidly sketching.  
"Well, wherever we are, it's not Bannerman Road. I don't know where it is." I look at her drawing. It's a snowy field, and there are a group of people heading towards us.  
"I don't know it, either." Jessica creases her forehead in worry. Strangely, she's having this many visions, but it's even weirder that they are this accurate.

Mummy says that there's a rehearsal of the launch of the Serf Board this morning and that the country's eight top journalists have been invited to attend, before revealing that she's going to the rehearsal as she's the country's senior journalist. All of our family is going. Clyde, Rani and Maria aren't so impressed. "Sorry, Clani," Luke says. "Family outing."

"Basically, if we blag anything about the Serf Board before the actual release and they sue us to death," Luke explains.  
"But what if I disagree with the terms and conditions?" Lucy asks.  
"They're fine, just sign it."  
"Listen, Lucy, if he says they're fine, then they're fine," I say.  
"Whatever you say, Emma." I still feel hurt that she wouldn't call me Mummy like she used to.

A man and a fifteen-year-old girl walk over to us. "You better behave, you little imp, we're here because Harrison invited us, and you better not mess it up." He's actually dragging her. Her long, auburn hair finishes at her waist, and her sea blue eyes call out for help even though she keeps her mouth shut. Her trainers are scuffed badly, and her clothes have clearly worn through at points sometime before. "I won't, Papa," she says.

I make eye contact with my children, a little worried. Jessica, Alistair and Sky nod, saying that I should step in. Lucy agrees immediately, saying that I should get to know her as she is Lucy's replacement. We all stare at Lucy in shock before turning back to the girl. "You should at least talk to her, Emma," Lucy says before I walk over.  
"Excuse me, sir?" I ask, and the man turns to us. "If you like, we're more than happy to look after your daughter during the rehearsal."  
"At least that's one problem sorted." He pushes his daughter towards us. "You better behave yourself, Mary Seymour. If you don't, you'll have me to answer to." As he walks away, I turn to Mary. She's crying.

"Hey, it's going to be all right."  
"Sorry, it's just that no-one stood up for me before. Thank you."  
"That's all right. Mary, isn't it?" She nods, silent. "My name is Emma Smith-White-"  
"I heard so much about you. But why did you stand up for me?"  
"As a mother, I hate seeing children in harsh conditions. I try to give them a better life, even if it doesn't always work." I lead her over to our group. "Why are you here?"  
"Papa is trying to get as many Serf Boards as possible so he can sell them in Gloustershire. He usually drinks and-" Mary stops herself.  
"It's all right, Mary. You're among friends." I can't help but think about the Mary I left behind in 1541.  
"He abuses me. I thought about running away before, but I couldn't. He said that I wouldn't last long out there."  
"You should save up as much money as you can so you can get out of there. Hide it in places your father wouldn't think to look or keep it on you at all times." Mary nods. "It's going to be all right, I promise. Are you part of Child's Torchwood?"  
"No, Papa wouldn't let me join. He says that it's a good way of getting into care, then I wouldn't have anyone."  
"Your father isn't telling the truth. If you're in trouble, then you should tell someone and make sure that you get support. Child's Torchwood is there to help, give you support, whatever. The nearest base to you is in Winchcombe. You should go there if you need help, or call this number." I give her the number for the Child's Torchwood closest to Mary. "At least let them know when you're going."  
"I will," Mary smiles. I notice that Mum and Mummy are talking to one of their friends. Luke sees Mary.

"Who is this, Emma?" He asks.  
"This is Mary," I say. "Mary, this is my twin brother, Luke." They shake hands.  
"I've heard so much about you two," Mary babbles a little. "Is it true that you fought off the 456?"  
"Yes, we did," Luke agrees. "It was stressful, but we did it."  
"I would have loved to been there."  
"No, you wouldn't," I smile. "We had a lot going on."  
"Not to mention you fainting a lot of the time."  
"Thanks to the 456! That wasn't my fault!" Mary chuckles as she watches us.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Mr Harrison interrupts. "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I'm John Harrison, Serf Systems Public Relations. The rehearsal is about to begin so if you'd like to follow me up." Slowly, we head up into the room, where Mr Harrison conducts the rehearsal with Joseph Serf. While we watch, we see Joseph Serf glitch.  
"Did you see that?" Mary whispers, being the first one to notice it. I nod, worried. My children and Luke agree.  
"Excuse me, can we have a bit of hush, please?"  
"But Nana, he-" Sky begins, getting Mummy's attention before Luke cuts her off.  
"No, Sky. Wait." I nod, and we stay silent. As we head out of the room, where Mary's father corners her.

"You better come with me, you little imp." He grabs Mary's arm.  
"Right, that's it," I growl. "Sir, take your hands off your daughter."  
"She's my daughter, I can do what I like with her." He slaps me, hard. Whimpering, I have to decide what to do next. I don't have long to decide.  
"That's child abuse, sir." I stare at him in the eye. "I can have you arrested. Wherever you run, it will never be enough. We will find you." He is dragging Mary away, but she's fighting back.  
"Please, Papa. Let me stay with Emma and Luke. Please!"  
"You've made a spectacle of yourself with them."  
"Quite the contrary, Sir," I say. "Mary's behaved very well. You should be proud of your daughter."  
"You're looking for an opportunity to get rid of her."  
"That's not true! Child's Torchwood is to help people when they are in difficult situations. We pay for all of their upkeep when it's needed, which is what this situation is. We will help Mary in whatever way we can."

"You don't know what my daughter needs."  
"I know that any child deserves to feel wanted. Do you make Mary feel like she's wanted?"  
"She's my daughter."  
"Do you make Mary feel like she's wanted?"  
"We're going." He drags Mary away, with Mary begging her father to let her go. I'm standing there, watching them. Mary's father doesn't want us getting too close to Mary.

"She'll run away almost as soon as she gets back home," Jessie tells me when we head back to Bannerman Road. Luke stays behind to check out Serf Systems.  
"I hope Mary will make it here," I whisper. Yet, it seems unlikely.

"Right, let's have a look at you, my beauty," Clyde says as he places the computer down on the scanner table.  
"Wait, we've got to make sure it's safe first," Rani says.  
"Only Luke, Mummy, Jessica, Alistair, Lucy, Mary and I saw the glitch."  
"Who's Mary? You've still not told us!" Clyde says.  
"Well, as you're all part alien, it would make sense. However, it wouldn't make sense with Mary," Mummy considers.  
"It does," Jessica fires back before she has another vision. "She's our sister- or, she will be, but she'll be a baby. Just you wait and see." Mummy asks Mr Smith to tap into the digital database at Serf Systems as the rehearsal was recorded so someone must have sent the movie file and wants a copy. He says that it might take some time, but finds mentioned file immediately.

"Mr Smith, can you locate Mary?" Jessica asks. Mummy asks why. "Her father is abusing her."  
"I might not be able to find her if you don't know her name," Mr Smith tells Jessica. "I apologise."  
"That's all right." Sky was able to pause the picture so everyone could see Joseph Serf glitching. We realise that the real Serf died in a skiing accident and Serf Systems replaced him. Mummy, somehow, was able to get an interview with him. John Harrison says that it would be a joint interview as Mary's father also wants an interview.

"We should go. We saw the glitching and might see something else," Sky says.  
"Can I stay here?" Lucy asks. I agree, as do Mum and Mummy. "If Mary's going to replace me, I'd rather not see it happening."  
"No one is replacing anyone," I say, firmly. We re-join with Luke, who found nothing else strange. "We can hang out in the reception again," I suggest when we part ways with Mum and Mummy. As we enter the building, we spot Mary again.

"Mary?" I ask quietly. She turns to us, smiling.  
"You're back quickly."  
"Our mums got an interview with Mr Serf," Luke explains. "What about you?"  
"Same story, only with my dad."  
"Oh, how's that?"  
"It's worse than him being drunk all the time. I think I might run away."

"Then I'd better give you a head's up," Jessie says, taking Mary into a corner to explain what will happen to her before we go exploring. A lift opens as Sky says that she can feel electricity building up down below.  
"Let's take a look!" Sky and the others head to the lift, but Luke holds us back.  
"I'll go, you lot head back to the car."  
"Not a chance!" Mary says as we head inside. She presses the -2 button. "Going down. How's the liking each other thing going now?"  
"I'll let you know." We head down. Sky says it's coming from further down, but we are on the last floor. Luke figures out the code, and we head down.

We hear screams coming from creatures- the Skullions. Not that we knew what they were at the time. "Through here," Sky says as we head down a corridor. We come across a room and enter.  
"Look," Mary says. "This technology must be advanced compared to ours."  
"They're controlling Serf through alien technology," I smile. "It's amazing." We watch a while until one of them say that they need to raise the Hypno-power as our parents should trust Mr Serf.  
"No," Luke says. "Mum! Mummy!" The technology they used failed, and they stood down to await orders. Mr Harrison pulls a gun on our parents. "They'll be fine as you're still alive," Luke says to me. The Skullion turns to us. Sky screams.  
"Intruders!"  
"Go, go, go!" We try to run out, but the Skullions surround us.  
"You!"  
"Please, let them go!" Luke begs. "My sister and my nieces and nephew. They're just children. Please!"  
"You! You! You! You! You!"  
"They're going to kill us," Mary wails.  
"You must escape! Run!"

"What?!" I demand. "WHAT?!" Sky grabs a control, making Mr Serf go out of control, so Harrison misses. "Let's go! Grab onto me!" Luke grabs Sky, holding onto me. Jessica and Mary hold hands with each other and Alistair before Alistair grabs my arm. I use my teleportation bracelet and teleport into the room Harrison, and my parents are in. I grab the gun off him.  
"John Harrison, you're under arrest for enslaving the Skullions," Luke says, producing some handcuffs and tying him up.

"I told you to not go with them," the man growls, grabbing his daughter. "We're going, don't try and stop me." He drags Mary away as we take Harrison away. Mummy calls Mr Smith, letting him know about what happened and where the Skullions are.

Before they leave, Plark takes Sky and Lucy to one side. "You two are different."  
"I was made by the Fleshkind, and my sister was taken over by the Sister of Blood."  
"Not that. Something worse. You two must be strong." I notice that Sky and Lucy look baffled as the Skullions teleport away. We announce that the Serf Board will not be released, ever.

Upon returning to the attic, we hear the news report Mr Smith created. "Poor Mr Serf," Mummy considers. Jessica enters the attic.  
"Mary's run away. It's only a matter of time now."


	3. Meet Mr Smith

It's a Sunday, and we decide to spend the day in the attic. Clyde is drawing Lucy, who is standing by the door while Rani measures her. "Alert, alert!" Mr Smith calls out. An object crashes through the window before we can react.  
"What's that?" Sky asks. The object is spherical and covered in spikes. It latches onto Mr Smith's keyboard before his screen turns black.  
"High levels of mutagenic energy detected. You all must evacuate immediately."  
"Move!" Mum roars, and we move out of the attic. He slams the door shut when everyone is out. A bright white flash erupts from the other side of the door before fading. Slowly, we step inside.

"Is everyone alright?" Mummy asks. Everyone except me nod- I've spotted another person in the room. The man is dressed in a pinstriped grey suit, a handkerchief in his top pocket and an umbrella over his left arm and a bowler hat on his head.  
"Hello!"  
"Who are you?" Sky asks.  
"Oh, Sky, I thought that would have been obvious." He doffs his bowler hat to us, smiling. "I'm Mr Smith." Mummy opens her watch.  
"Unarmed," she smiles.  
"Unless you count the brolly," the man says.  
"He's a normal human."  
"That makes me sound boring! Scan again! Scan again for excitement, Smith-White!"  
"Stay where you are!" I yell. "I mean it."

"Is Mr Smith okay?" Lucy asks, worried.  
"Fine, Lucy, thanks for asking."  
"Shut it!" I hurry over to Mr Smith to find the Xylok crystal destroyed. "Mum, Mummy… I think Mr Smith is dead."  
"If by 'dead', you mean stood right here in a rather natty ensemble, then break out the black crepe!" The man says. "The sphere is harmless, by the way, since I know that's what you're all wondering about. It's empty. I absorbed all of the mutagenic energy. Oh, and Emma?"  
"What?" I ask sullenly.  
"Could you find something more threatening than a Trantarian nose clipper to threaten me with? I should say, I'm unimpressed."  
"You know our names, so you must be Mr Smith."  
"Of course I am! Sarah Jane Smith-White, Ruby Smith-White, Emma Smith-White, Jessica Smith-White, Alistair Smith-White, Sky Smith-White, Lucy Smith-White, Rani Chandra and Clyde Langer! I also know that Clyde is a week behind on looking for jobs-"  
"Hey!" Clyde says.  
"Don't be so selfish. Rani's on her seventeenth driving lesson and needs all of the help she can get."  
"OI!" Rani yells.  
"How about the fact Lucy grew three inches in a fortnight and is almost as tall as her other siblings. Jessica keeps on having visions about Mary Seymour, and it's coming up to her fifth vision."  
"Hey," Jessica says. "You shouldn't know about that."  
"Alistair, please don't read my mind. I know you're in there." Alistair huffs. Sky giggles, causing the electricity to blink. "Sky, please try not to laugh. You still influence electricity." Sky blushes.  
"How about the fact Emma broke the law when she was six."  
"Now look here-" I begin, but Mr Smith cuts me off.  
"And saved the Doctor at the same time, and had the oldest twins as a result. How about Sarah Jane devouring an entire packet of custard creams last night while researching for an article on solar energy?"  
"I was hungry," Mummy mutters.  
"This is a trick," Mum grumbles.  
"No, Ruby. This is a trick." Mr Smith produces an ace of hearts from behind her ear. "How many times do I have to say it? I'm Mr Smith! The mutagen energy transformed me from my default Xylok crystalline form to that of a human being."

"This is weird," I decide.  
"You're telling me. We Xylok look down our crystalline lattices at organic life. You know, I always thought being human would be disgusting."  
"Oh, cheers."  
"Although I think I quite like it!"  
"What do we call you?" Sky asks.  
"Call me? I have no idea. What do you suggest?"  
"Smithy?" Smithy agrees, saying that he likes it.

Clyde and Rani begin clearing up the broken glass. Mummy comes back from her call from UNIT as Lucy passes Smithy an apple. "There's no activity coming from the other Xylok crystals," she announces.  
"Can you sense anything, Mr Smith?" Rani turns to the chimney breast.  
"Smithy. Over here," Smithy calls. "Unless you're expecting an answer from Father Christmas, I wouldn't bother. Oh goodness, I can make jokes now! That is much better than facts!"  
"Well," Clyde says. "In any case Rani, you-"  
"Might as well be talking to a brick wall! Ha! Beat you to the punchline!" Mum decides to check for alien activity, which makes Smithy groan. "Oh, must you? They said 'no alien activity', ergo, a day off, ergo- let's go out! The shops! You all love going down the shops, let's all go down to the shops!"  
"No, absolutely not!" Mum and Mummy yell at the same time. "We won't allow it!"  
"Ruby, Sarah Jane, you both are guilty of false imprisonment of a fascinating new life form. Or perhaps they just want me all to themselves, eh kids?" Clyde and Rani cringe. Lucy looks confused. Jessica, Alistair and Sky facepalm. I think about joining them when my phone rings as Smithy offers a cover story.

"Hello?"  
"Hi, Emma. Sorry, I had to change my phone number."  
"Doctor!" It's my Doctor.  
"I thought we could meet up down the shops." I watch, worried, as Smithy bounds out of the attic.  
"You won't believe what just happened?"  
"No? What?"  
"Mr Smith's human!"  
"Then, I have to see what happens! Hang on, I'll meet you in town!"

Before we even make it out of Bannerman Road, Gita joins us. "Oh, no," Rani moans.  
"Hello! You all off somewhere?" Gita asks.  
"We're heading into town. Mum, this is Smithy, Sarah Jane's long-lost cousin who's come to stay. Smithy, this is my mum."  
"Your mother?" Smithy scoffs. "Are you sure you aren't Rani's sister?"  
"Ooh," Gita giggles. "I like your flower."  
"Thank you very much."  
"Tell you what, I can get you carnations for half price. I run a flower shop, wouldn't you know."  
"It's nice talking to you, but we really must be going," I interrupt. "We've got a lot of stuff to do."

When we head to town, the Doctor is there. "So, this is your fiancée?" Smithy asks.  
"That's right. Doctor, this is Smithy."  
"Nice to meet you." The Doctor shakes his hand.  
"Are you sure you aren't Emma's sister?"  
"Absolutely sure. Don't make things any more difficult on you, please." The Doctor turns back to me, smiling. "Anyway, we've got stuff to do."  
"Do we?" I ask.  
"Absolutely! Come on!" The Doctor grabs my hand, and we run off down the street.  
"See you later!" I call back.

"I was thinking… Summer."  
"What are you talking about, Doctor?"  
"Our wedding. After all, you're twelve. According to law, you can marry."  
"Lucy's going to die soon," I say. Sadly, the Doctor nods.  
"I'm sorry, but it's a fixed point in space and time. Lucy has to die to stop the Trickster from coming through. She gives up her life so everyone else can live."  
"What about Sky?" If I remember what Jessica said, then the Trickster also takes Sky over.  
"Sky lives," the Doctor smiles. "Anyway, where and when do we want it?"  
"I would like it to be on Earth, after all, it's my home."  
"Of course, but where?"  
"England, obviously. Possibly London, I don't know."  
"Are you sure you want to get married on Earth? We can look at possible venues, and when we come back, only ten seconds would have passed."  
"All right," I agree.

"I originally thought Gallifrey, but they still don't allow humans on the planet. It's a shame as it looks amazing whenever a wedding is held. So, past, present or future?"  
"It's going to be tense."  
"Oh, good one! How about the future? We'll have to use the TARDIS to get the guests there, but that's fine."

We visit several different planets, including Earth and Zelos. On the last world we went to, the Doctor explains that it's a wedding planet, and many famous people got married there. "Shall we take a look?" I nod, placing my arm in hers. We head to the front desk. "Hello, I'm the Doctor. This is my fiancée, Emma Smith-White. We are looking into possibly having a wedding here and wondered what sort of things you do." The receptionist takes us into a ballroom. It looks very grand, and it overwhelms me. We head into a smaller room, decorated with portraits, but that seems too formal.

When we enter the gardens, I'm struck down by their beauty. "The gardens look perfect," I say. Roses and violets line the paths.  
"We use this garden for our homosexual weddings," the receptionist says. "On Earth, violets represent homosexuality."  
"That's right. It looks perfect."  
"That room, over to your right, we're redecorating at the moment. We are going to use it for hybrid weddings."  
"Hybrid weddings?"  
"It's for people who marry someone of another species, or those who are already hybrids, like yourself." She leads us into the room.

While it's still a ballroom, it feels more open. Large windows look out onto the garden, and the floor is made out of pearl. The curtains are gold with silver tassels. Tables are in one half of the room, and off to one side is an aisle. Slowly walking over to it, I notice that the table where the Doctor and I will get married is covered in Gallifreyan symbols. "The closest that translates to, if we have it correct, is more than life itself."  
"That's right," the Doctor agrees. "But I thought Gallifreyan didn't translate."  
"We try to get as close to the translation as we can."

Surveying the room, I ask how it's going to be decorated. "We thought the walls could be peach to try and calm the room down, and we're going to hang an Arcateenian tapestry on this wall," the receptionist walks over to it. The tapestry is currently lying on the floor, and she says we can help put it up. When we stand back, I gasp.

The tapestry reminds me of space. Blues, pinks and reds are woven into it, along with silver thread. "It's perfect," I smile. "I love it."  
"We'll like to use this room, please," the Doctor says.  
"I'll book it for you. When's the date?" The Doctor and I glance at each other.  
"We haven't decided yet," she admits.  
"That's all right. It will take a few months to get the room sorted, and at that point, we'll start taking bookings. Take the time you need."  
"Thank you," the Doctor smiles.

When we arrive back on Earth, we are discussing dates. "You've seen Wedvenus in the summer, which is when it's at its peak."  
"Even the name of the planet sounds romantic," I consider. "I think we made the right choice. Now we have more to decide." The Doctor looks worried.  
"Cake, decorations, dresses, invitations and a date that the wedding will take place on. We've got a lot to think about. At least we have a venue, which reduces our stress a little."

When we're back in town, I see Smithy introducing himself to Carla, and Clyde looks very worried. "I'd better let you get home," the Doctor says. "You should have my new number now." I quickly save it into my phone, saying that I have it. Before I leave the Doctor, she gives me a charm bracelet. "The TARDIS represents all of the adventures we will have together. The stars represent space, and the ring represents how time will not affect our relationship."  
"Thank you, Doctor." I head back to join the others.

The next morning, Clyde runs into the attic. "My mum's dating a screensaver!"  
"It could be worse," I say. "At least she isn't dating a Slitheen."  
"Yes, I'm grateful for that. But still, we don't know if Smithy will become a Xylok again." Rani shows us the headline of the newspaper she's carrying- **Robbery at the Challis Museum**. "Mr Smith would have picked up on that. When he's not too busy fixing sheds."  
"We can do his job at Child's Torchwood," I say. Smithy bounds in, saying that Carla is pleased with his work on the shed. He reveals that Clyde told him that Carla deserved a better life, resulting in Clyde growing angry with the ex-supercomputer.

"Oh my!" Smithy exclaims.  
"What is it?" I ask, worried.  
"What?"  
"Are you okay?"  
"No."  
"Oh, Clyde, look what you've done!" Clyde begins spluttering. Smithy shoves his hand in his pocket when I notice his hand crackling. Smithy asks Rani to hand him his umbrella, and whispers three words to her before he leaves- Clyde loves you.

After a few hours, Mummy doesn't turn up, resulting in Clyde and Rani arguing. "They do this a lot," Lucy tells me. I ask them to stop it as finding Mummy must take priority.  
"We have to do something! Come on- Jessie, Alistair, get the TV from Luke's room. Rani, Clyde, get as many newspapers as you can." I run downstairs to get the radio, and we begin doing Mr Smith's job- monitoring for anything that can allude us to Mummy's whereabouts.

"I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!" Clyde roars when he gets off the phone to his mum. "Smithy just dumped Mum!"  
"He did what?!" I snapped.  
"Exactly."  
"He's up to something- a good thing that I can track him." I open my computer, which I brought up with me and found my tracking server and track Smithy to an abandoned warehouse.

"…recent break-in at the Asquith Bank Vaults. There appears to have been signs of a struggle, and two guards have been reported dead," a male newsreader announces.  
"Mummy's there!" I point at her car on the screen.  
"We can confirm that a theft of a fine-cut diamond worth £1.5 million has been successful and police are now working to find the culprit and retrieve the valuable item."  
"It must have been Smithy. There was a theft the other night he was out, too, remember?"  
"The Challis Museum," Sky recalls. I pull out my scanner, and we head to the museum.

"Sky, come on, we've only got ten minutes," Alistair tells us.  
"I'm almost there," Sky calls back. "I've found something! Dymolectic energy! They're usually connected to a matter relay."  
"Well done, Sky!" Mummy calls. We turn to find Mum and Mummy behind, with the latter's watch open.  
"What happened?" I ask.  
"It's a long story," Mum says. "We've had a feeling about Smithy for a while. At least he didn't think to take the tracker off his tie! Come on!" We head out of the door.

"So, this energy thing, what's it for?" I ask as we enter the warehouse.  
"It's for a long-range teleport, Mummy," Sky says. "I can feel the energy building up." When we meet Smithy, Clyde tries to go for him.

"You know there's a hefty penalty for helping felons, right?" A voice asks. We turn to find the Shadow Architect standing behind us. "Hello, Emma."  
"Shadow Architect." She stares at Sky and Lucy- or, to be more particular, Lucy.  
"But… Lucy Cartwright-"  
"Who?" Clyde asks as the ground begins shaking.  
"It's starting." Mum states. "Come on, we don't have much time!" An alien is standing by a console, laughing.  
"Having fun?" He asks. The Shadow Architect growls. "You really should know better. Don't you need me alive?"  
"I never said anything about needing you in one piece."

"Ozmo, what are you doing?" Smithy asks. "You said you were leaving!"  
"Oh, I was leaving."  
"Why should we believe you?" I demand. "You've been using Smithy as a puppet. No, worse! Wait- you're not leaving. You're bringing."  
"You're trying to enslave humanity," Jessie says. "Well, good luck with that. Alistair has sent word to some powerful friends we have, and they are on their way." The door burst open, and movement surrounds us, but I can't figure out who any of them are. The machine is disabled, and most of the figures leave- all except one.

"You thought you could-" the figure begins before a machine interrupts her. Smithy runs over to the computer, knowing what to do.  
"I won't let you turn humanity into slaves! I have a primary purpose which was given to me by Sarah Jane. Protect Earth. You made me forget that, Ozmo! Mary, step back! I won't let your family lose you!" Smithy passes the diamond over to Mary before she hurries over to us.  
"You fool!" Ozmo says. "You removed the reflector crystal! It's going to explode! We'll all die, and it's your fault."  
"That makes my job a little easier," the Shadow Architect says.  
"Clyde, promise me. Look after your mother," Smithy pleads. "I won't feel for her after this, and I'll forget what I once felt for her. Listen, all of you. I'm glad this has happened, because life's for living, and don't any of you forget it. Goodbye!" Smithy plunges his hands into the console. A bright, white light floods the room, and we all close our eyes.

When we open them again, the Xylok is sitting on the console, proud. "Attention, attention," Mr Smith's voice calls out. "This is Earth. Mr Smith speaking. You will disregard any previous message. Earth is defended. Refusal to comply will be met with resistance. This is your one, final warning. Any hostile action will be repelled."  
"Look at Ozmo!" Lucy says. The shot Mr Smith was going to take, he threw at Ozmo, turning him human. The Shadow Architect takes him.  
"I'll deal with you later," she snaps.  
"You got what you deserved, Ozmo!" Sky and Lucy cheer. Ozmo stares at the twins with wide eyes.

"YOU! YOU TWO STAY AWAY FROM ME! CAN'T YOU SEE WHO THEY ARE? WHY AREN'T THEY GETTING ARRESTED?"  
"He talks too much," the Shadow Architect says. "But you, Jessie- I can call you Jessie, can't I- have proof of who their father is. Use it well. You two must be strong."

"Mr Smith, I need you!" Mummy calls a couple of days later. The attic is back to normal, and life continues.


	4. The Thirteenth Floor

I'm waiting for my children so I can get to work at Child's Torchwood. "Come on, you don't want to be late for school!" Jessie and Sky fail to appear, while Alistair and Lucy run downstairs. "Where's Jessie and Sky?"  
"They're not feeling well," Alistair says.  
"I'll go and check on them. You two head off to school."  
"See you, Mummy." Alistair and Lucy head out of the door while I head upstairs.

"Hey, shouldn't you be on your way to the warehouse?" Mum asks, catching me on the stairs.  
"It looks like Jessie and Sky are ill. I have to make sure they're all right. If they're ill, I'll work from home today."  
"Okay, well, I have to go into the Pharos Institute and Sarah's working on a story across town, so it will just be you, Jessie and Sky."  
"Have a good day."  
"You too." Mum heads downstairs as I head into my children's room.

Upon opening the door, I see that the Doctor is sitting by the window. "I was wondering when you'd get here," she whispers, coming out to join me. "I'm afraid to say that it doesn't look positive right now."  
"What's wrong with them?"  
"They're suffering a backlash from their powers. As Jessie can see the future, she's now experiencing what Time Lords call Post Futuristic Stress Disorder. It will last a couple of days, but during this time, Jessie will need total peace and quiet. Don't ask her any questions about the future, that will make her situation even worse, and it can take her longer to recover. Sky is suffering a backlash from her electric powers, so she's experiencing a major electric shock that knocked her out. She'll come to in a couple of hours, but it will be best if she doesn't go into school today."  
"It looks like I'll work from home, then," I say. The Doctor nods, saying that is a good idea.

When Sky wakes up, it's lunchtime. I advise her to leave the room so Jessica can sleep, and the Doctor explains to her what the matter with them is. Sky then tells me something worrying- while she was asleep, she was seeing a man that didn't have any eyes, and his mouth was full of sharp, rotting teeth. Alarmed, the Doctor and I glance at each other.  
"We should pick up Lucy and take them to the Pharos Institute," I consider. "Professor Rivers is a friend of my parents, she should be able to work out their electromagnetic fields and find out what's wrong with Sky and Lucy."

When Mummy comes back, she's out again immediately, taking Sky with her. At least it gives me a chance to talk to Lucy. "Lucy?" I ask. "Have you seen a strange face recently?"  
"One with no eyes and sharp rotten teeth? Yeah, I've seen one." I begin pacing, worry seeping into my mind. Jessie had warned me about it, but I still can't get over the fact that I will lose one of my daughters. We thought it would be Lucy, but it could be Sky. I stop pacing as I consider the fact I wanted to ignore for a long time, something I can no longer ignore.

What if I lose both of my daughters?

I shake my head, tears pooling into my eyes, stinging them. No, I can't think like this. "Mummy?" Alistair asks quietly. He takes me into my room. "Jessie's awake."  
"But your mum said that she needed peace and quiet for a few days."  
"She seems to have recovered. Now could be the perfect time to talk to her." Slowly, we open the door to my children's room, stepping into the twilight.

"Jessie?" I ask quietly. She looks up at me, tired.  
"Mummy? Oh, Mummy." I sit by her bed. "I could see the Trickster. I wasn't ill like Mum suggested. I had a long vision, a really long one this time."  
"What happened?"  
"The Trickster will come through both Sky and Lucy," Alistair says. "I think we need to contact people. We can't deal with this alone. The entire planet is at stake."  
"Right, I'll set up the Ealing base as a safe house for all of the residents of Bannerman Road. Alistair, I need you to try and get in the Trickster's mind, find out what he's planning."  
"On it," Alistair spaces out.  
"Jessie, I know it will be a pain, but I need you to make sure that your visions are right. I know you saw that Sky survives, but I'm worried that she won't."  
"I'll have a look." Jessie spaces out as I leave the room, explaining to the Doctor that I'm going to Child's Torchwood.

The Ealing base is a large office block, five stories high. There is a basement underneath, where the primary operations take place. The other floors are converted into safe houses for members of Child's Torchwood. Now, I have to prepare them for the evacuation of Bannerman Road. If Jessica can give me an exact date, I can ask around, see who will be there that day and who won't. At that exact moment, my phone rings.  
"I have a date," Alistair announces. "Or, more like, Jessica does."  
"25th November," she says.  
"That's tomorrow! We don't have much time; we have to get the rest of Bannerman Road evacuated ASAP. Go around to each house, give them the address of the Ealing base and to pack only the essentials. Tell Lucy and the Doctor to do the same. If you run into the others, tell Clyde and Rani to come here so we can sort out the base, and for everyone else to help you."  
"Roger that," Alistair says. "I always wanted to say that." He ends the phone call.

Rani and Clyde hurry in, looking rather upset. While we're running out of time, I still have time for my friends. "What's the matter?" I ask, worried. They explain about the missing people about the place Rani works and the Thirteenth Floor, saying that they had a daughter there, but they lost her. At the moment, I can't imagine the grief involved in losing a child. The worst part is that they don't even remember what she looked like.  
"Anyway, enough about us," Rani says. "We'd better get this place sorted." Clyde nods, and we go to separate floors, sorting them out. When Jessie and Alistair arrive at four in the afternoon, we're almost done. Some of the first residents come.

Watch out, Trickster. We're prepared.


	5. The Battle of Bannerman Road

"It's just a check-up," I tell Sky and Lucy, who remain in my car. The only house we have not evacuated on Bannerman Road is number 13. Slowly, Sky steps out. Lucy folds her arms, not wanting to go anywhere. "The longer you take getting out of the car, the later we go back home." That seems to be enough for Lucy, who climbs out of the car, slamming the door.

The Pharos Institute is set in a majestic castle, but with a modern interior. I don't notice it as I spot Professor Rivers walking towards me. "Professor Rivers."  
"Emma Smith-White," her smile widens as she pulls off her glasses. "It's an honour to meet you at last."  
"Thank you for agreeing to see us."  
"It's my pleasure. Are these Sky and Lucy?"  
"Yes, they are." I pull Sky and Lucy closer to me. "I need to check up on their electrical capabilities and my equipment isn't updated enough to run a scan."  
"I'll see what I can do." Sky and Lucy follow us, Sky with a spring in her step, Lucy dragging her heels.

I sit in the waiting room, hoping that my children will come out soon. It's not long before they both trot out- without Professor Rivers. "Where's Professor Rivers?"  
"She had something to do," Lucy says before Sky can say anything. I tell Lucy to go to the car and that Sky and I will follow.

Sky leads me into the room, and I notice the charred equipment first. "Professor Rivers is trapped in that computer," Sky points. "Lucy trapped her there."  
"Were you conscious while Lucy did this?"  
"Yes, but I didn't want to say anything in front of her in case the Trickster grows suspicious." I notice that Sky's clothes look slightly singed. So did Lucy's.  
"I don't think there's anything we can do for Professor Rivers right now," I tell her, gently. We leave the room.

"Were you in control of yourself?"  
"Yes. It might be because when the backlash occurred when we stopped the Metalkind, it changed me to become your biological daughter as well as the Doctor's. There isn't enough room for a dad in the picture."  
"But you still have your electrical powers."  
"Time Lord-Human-Qetesh hybrids usually have some sort of power if I recall Mum correctly."  
"I guess you're right."  
"Alistair can scan Lucy's mind, find out what's going on." I nod, half-heartedly. I hope he can help.

When we get home, I notice that Jo Jones is in our living room, along with Mum and Mummy. Lucy hurries upstairs while I call Jessie and Alistair down, introducing them to Jo. "We visited this Incan temple recently," Jo resumes her story. "There were pictures, one of them was your car, Sarah."  
"My car?"  
"There was a picture of Lucy there, too. In writing, it said that she would damn us all."  
"That's not all," Alistair says, grimly. "I still can't get in Lucy's mind. Whatever the Trickster is using her for, he doesn't want us to know."  
"What about me?" Sky asks. "I'm Lucy's twin."  
"It turns out you're not. While you were both created by the Trickster and Ms Myers, the energy backlash made you, biologically, our little sister. Lucy was never exposed to a backlash like that, so her genetic coding hasn't changed. She's the daughter of the Trickster, while you're not."  
"I guess that should explain a lot," I say. Lucy chooses that point to enter the room.

She's in a taller body, and her eyes look limp. Jo jumps back, close to swearing. "Lucy, are you all right?" Mummy asks.  
"I don't know," Lucy says, her voice full of fear, confusion- may be a bit of hatred? "I don't… I don't…" Lucy's body crackles with electricity as she falls to the floor, unconscious.  
"We need to move her to the attic," Jessie says. The light bulbs shatter, and we cover our eyes. The windows shatter, the photographs on the mantelpiece fall to the floor.

Carefully, we move Lucy into the attic. Jessie and Alistair head downstairs to tell Rani and Clyde what happened. Sky stays with me. Lucy doesn't wake, but her vitals are positive- she's still alive. We hear Clyde and Rani arguing before Clyde storms into the attic. I could ignore him, but I decide not to. "What's the matter?" Sky asks.  
"Jo's grandson, Santiago, has offered to take Rani across the world."  
"I can't blame her for wanting to go," I admit. "Doing what we do, it ties you to one place, and it's not good. Rani will go travelling because she needs to," I walk over to him. "You need to do what you need to do."  
"I love Rani."  
"I know you do, Clyde. Maybe Rani needs reminding of that." Clyde nods, allowing our conversation to sink in. A hand bursts through the wall, creating a fist in my face.

"WHAT THE-" Sky begins, jumping back.  
"Keep back!" Mummy yells as she, Mummy, Jessie, Alistair and Rani run in. I turn to find a white face staring back at me. The eye sockets are gone, no nose visible, and the mouth is full of sharp, rotting teeth. The creatures grab us and surround Lucy. Attempting to move forward, I want to help Lucy, but I'm hissed back into place.  
"She's my daughter." I look at one in the face. "What do you want?"  
"You will remain."  
"Who are you?"  
"We are the Whisper Men, the soldiers of the Trickster. You will all remain."

Lucy sits up. "I can breathe," she announces to the world. I realise that it's not her voice, not entirely. The sound coming from her is a mixture of hers and the Trickster's.  
"Lucy?" I ask. "Are you all right?"  
"Emma Victoria Smith-White." Lucy turns to me. I shriek.

Lucy's face is unrecognisable. Her eyes are gone, but they are replaced with two empty eye sockets. Her nose has melted away, and her mouth is full of sharp, rotten teeth. Sky nearly retches.  
"No," Mummy whispers. "Not you."  
"Even now, you deny what's in front of you." I grab my scanner, which is residing in my pocket. I lift it to the ceiling, and a light bulb explodes.  
"Mr Smith, protect us! Out, now!" We race out of the house, avoiding the Whisper Men.  
"Whatever you decide, Emma Victoria Smith-White, Lucy will fulfil her destiny as my child of chaos!"

As soon as we leave the house, UNIT arrives. Kate Stewart steps out of the jeep, worried. Glancing back at Osgood, she motions for her to stay in the car. Knowing that most of the civilians are gone, Kate walks up to the driveway of number 13 as a tower of darkness breaks through the roof, reaching for the sky. "Renovating?" Kate asks.  
"What are you doing here?" I sigh, defeated.  
"We're here to evacuate you to the Child's Torchwood base. You all know how to fight the Trickster, so there must be a plan to defeat him. UNIT can help."  
"He's taken a defenceless child, turned her into a weapon before she could talk. He's planned this to the last detail. There's nothing we can do against him."

When we reach the Ealing base, I ask to be alone. Slowly heading to target practice, I draw out a gun, trying to block the sight of Trickster-Lucy from my mind. Firing the weapon, I miss the target. Well, that's a first, but I can't blame myself. I fire again, and again, and again, missing all of the targets. Slowly putting the gun on the table, I sink to my knees. Now, my knowledge can't help. The Trickster has won.

"My, that's not a good mindset to be in. We can win." I turn to find the Shopkeeper in the doorway.  
"What are you doing here?"  
"I didn't know the extent of Lucy's powers. I have grey areas, you see. I can't see everything."  
"Neither can the Doctor, and she's not here."  
"Really? Do you really think that your fiancée will leave you when you feel the most alone?"  
"It wouldn't be the first time. Maybe I deserve this. I had too much happiness, and now I have to face the consequences."  
"That isn't true. You're struggling, and have done for some time. Ever since the 456 invasion, you needed help, but you never seek it. You need your friends and remaining children, you're lost without them."  
"You're here now, you can save us!"

"Whoa, you're asking for help?" The Doctor asks, who is standing behind the Shopkeeper. My friends and the remains of my family are standing there. "That's not the Emma I remember."  
"This is beyond my control, Doctor."  
"You taught me that we protect humanity for the greater good," Clyde says. "I was told to never underestimate myself, to follow the Doctor's legacy, which is what we are all doing. You taught all of the children of Earth to protect, to fight for what is right, because at the end of the day, if we don't, it might not just be a matter of life and death, but it can also make a difference to ourselves."

"I'm only a being, Clyde. What should I do?"  
"What you always do," Rani says. "Be Emma Smith-White, defender of Earth." I look at everyone's faces. Each of them holds hope, hope that I can save them.  
"Thank you. Where would I be without my friends?"

"Are you ready to go?" The Shopkeeper asks. _No, I'm not._  
"As ready as I'll ever be."  
"Jessica, Alistair and Sky will go with you." He opens a time fissure, and I step forward, my children joining me.  
"Will it take us back?" Sky asks. The Shopkeeper nods. "Same time?"  
"It's merely a shortcut ." I turn to my friends.  
"Before I go, there's something I need you to do. Save Professor Rivers." We turn and enter the time fissure.

The front door is open. Slowly, we all step inside. As we head up the stairs, I caution my children to look out for danger. I turn to the staircase and freeze. A familiar girl is standing there. "Maria?" I ask.  
"I wanted to stay in London, but Luke forced me to leave. If you were there, it would never have happened. Emma, please, bring me back! I'm better off with you than with Luke." Ah, manipulation. From what I know, Maria is happy. Then again, she's only with Luke. I'll have to take her to one side at some point, once all of this is over.

Shuffling past her, I come face-to-face with Clyde. "You're weak, letting others fight for you. As you grew older, you fought less. You taught me to never back down, but you're doing that now."  
"No, I'm going to prove to you that I can, and will, fight, for what is right. I'll prove it to you, I promise."  
"There's the Emma I remember," Maria says. "What do you say, Clyde? Shall we let her pass?"  
"Yes." Both Maria and Clyde disappear, and my children hurry up the stairs behind me. Turning back, I face Rani and Luke.

"You never listened to me!" Luke wails. "You're a fraud, and I wish you were never born! You always take the best, leave everything else for me to do. You even have your own children, and I can never have that! Male human-Qetesh hybrids can never have what their female counterparts have. As soon as I can, I will kill you."  
"Luke will never say that," I whisper, blood draining from my face. The apparition of my brother terrifies me. He and Rani disappear when they realise that their plan isn't working.

We turn to the attic door, which slowly opens. The Trickster- Lucy is stood there, her head tilted to one side. "Welcome to my dominion, Emma Smith-White."  
"Lucy?" I ask. "Can you hear me?"  
"Lucy Smith-White is not here."  
"And we thought we saw the last of you," Alistair snarls.  
"Then you learnt nothing."  
"You didn't learn anything either," I retort. "We're really persistent." The question nags me. "Why Sky and Lucy?"  
"I only needed one of them as my vessel, my gateway into your reality. When Sky changed, I still had Lucy to help me. The Sister of Mine never died, it never left her."  
"And the Whispermen?" Sky asks.  
"Mere foot-soldiers. I pulled the design from the universe and moulded them in my image. They help me fulfil my purpose." He says that he knew that I had a weakness for children bred for war.

"Do you hear that, Lucy? He's using you!" I say. "He doesn't care about you or me. We're nothing to him."  
"No, I am the Trickster's daughter, the Child of Chaos." I try to plead with Lucy, to no avail. I notice Mr Smith opening and closing slightly- a message.  
"Nothing will stop you?" I ask. "Nothing at all?"  
"NO! I am victorious!"  
"Then you leave us with no choice," Alistair says. "Mr Smith, we need you!" Mr Smith appears faster than usual. I guess we all knew what we had to do to protect Earth. This is the sacrifice I have to make. There will be time to grieve later.  
"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" Trickster-Lucy booms.  
"We knew this would happen for some time! Jo investigating ancient murals and the trip to the Pharos Institute were no accident!"  
"We caught you out," Sky calls out. "How else would Mummy be able to evacuate the right number of people? You made a fatal error in choosing my sister as your vessel! You chose the girls who could influence electricity! A shock in the system is what Lucy needs. We're putting her back in control."  
"Sky, now!" I yell. "Mr Smith, you too! Force the change!"  
"Complying," Mr Smith says. I dive for cover with Jessie and Alistair as the room is engulfed in bright light as Sky and Lucy fight.

"You were right," I say. "We could never defeat you, it was always our friends!" Lucy's silhouette splits in two. Lucy Smith-White stumbles into the room, separate from the Trickster. Turning to her father, Lucy adopts a determined expression. I feel dread building inside me. "NO! LUCY! DON'T!"  
"NO!" The Trickster cries, obviously noticing the change. "I gave you your power, your strength! I gave you life!"  
"You tricked me!" Lucy says. "You turned me into a monster."  
"You will obey me!"  
"NO!" Electricity builds up around Lucy as her hair whips around her face. The Trickster stumbles backwards as tendrils snake along towards him.  
"You can't do this. You will not do this, I am your creator! You will not defy me!" The tendrils form shackles, trapping the Trickster.  
"It's over. You won't hurt anyone again." Lucy turns to us. "You have to run."  
"I can't leave you!" I cry, hurt.  
"This isn't a request, Mummy, it's an order!"  
"LUCY, NO!" I try to reach her, but Lucy smiles at me.  
"Look after Jessie, Alistair, Sky and Mary. They deserve a mother like you. Don't let them down." Lucy claps her hands together, banishing the Trickster. A bright light engulfs the attic, then Bannerman Road. Houses cave in, roots withering away.

When the light faded, the Smith-whites, Rani Chandra, Clyde Langer and the tyrant who attempted to damn Earth were gone.

Slowly, my eyes open, feeling a headache coming on and my limbs wanting me to rest. I can hear voices- all of them familiar. "I don't get it," Luke says. "Maria and I were watching the telly, and now we're here!"  
"LUKE!" I hug him tightly. Maria is there as well. Slowly, I register the empty space. No ground, no air, nothing. Yet it isn't dark, we're surrounded by colours that produce warmth. Clyde and Rani are huddled close to Luke. Mum and Mummy are sat with them. I turn to my right to see Jessie, Alistair and Sky together.

"Hey, let me out!" We hear someone growl.  
"I should have known," Jessie laughs. "MARY!"  
"Jessica?" Mary turns to her, pulling Jessie into a hug.  
"It's Jessie now. At least Mummy knows to call me that now." Mary walks over to us and embraces me.  
"What happened?" I ask. "Where are we?"  
"Maybe we should ask Lucy?" Mary suggests, nodding behind me. I turn.

Standing there is a female humanoid figure, a white robe hugging her slim figure. She looks almost like a surreal figure. I open my mouth to inquire who she is when I stop. "Lucy," I laugh. "It's you!"  
"Hello, Mummy," she says. Lucy's voice is more mature as it echoed off the walls. "It worked, you and my siblings saved me."  
"What happened to you?" Mary says.  
"A gift from the universe," Lucy explains. "This is my gift of love. I will offer my services as guardian of the Trickster and the Family of Blood and ensure that they never escape. They will be imprisoned forever. I am the guardian of the dimensions now, and this is my new home."  
"But- you'll-" I sob. "Lucy, you can't!"  
"We all knew this was going to happen, Mummy. At least we can say goodbye. I wanted you all here- even you, Mary! Now, I'm afraid I have to go. Goodbye." Slowly, Lucy disappears.

Unwillingly, my eyelids begin to flicker. I can't keep my eyes open, and I have to close them.

When I next open my eyes, Bannerman Road has crumbled. Houses have shaken to their foundations. Manholes litter the street. Even number 13 hasn't survived the attack. In fact, it's in the worst condition. There is hardly anything left of the place I call home.

Many of the residents of Bannerman Road are now in hotels until they can find a place of their own, including the Chandras. Mum and Mummy are staying with Carla. My children and I decide to stay in the Child's Torchwood Ealing base.

"What are we going to do now?" Alistair asks. "We have no home to go back to, nowhere."  
"We could always go to another base," Sky says. "It will give us a fresh start."  
"I don't think you'll always want to be recognised," I say.  
"It's nothing."  
"But-"  
"Really, Mummy, it doesn't matter. Jessie, do you know where we go?"  
"We stay in the UK, that's certain," Jessie says, looking a little spaced out. "Until the Miracle comes."  
"What miracle?" I ask.  
"They call it Miracle Day. We travel to DC, and guess what? Mary is with us!"  
"Mary?" I jump up. With all of the planning and grieving for Lucy, I almost forgot about the daughter who is coming for us. "When? When will she be with us?"  
"30th August 2013. I can't see where we are, but we might want to go somewhere secluded for a while, get our lives back together."

We begin crossing places off our long list. We can't go to any major cities or towns. "Foxgrove is too close to London," Jessie says. "It will be a good chance for you to gain independence, Mummy." Jessie must have known that I was thinking about my parents as they are moving to Foxgrove.  
"I don't think I want total independence." We continue crossing off places until we have two towns left.

The first town is a coastal town, Howard's Point. The house up for sale is Katheryn's Manor. "The town's still popular with Henry VIII's fifth wife and his eldest daughter, Mary Tudor," Alistair says.  
"THEY'RE STILL ALIVE?!" I jump up. Alistair nods.  
"We didn't want to say anything in case you wanted to continue your relationship with one of them."  
"Even though I'm engaged to the Doctor? Trust me, Alistair, I won't want to abandon my relationship with the Doctor, she means too much to me."

The next town is another coastal town, Lightdale. "Lightdale doesn't receive any tourists- ever," Jessie says. "It's about two hours from Foxgrove, so we can easily see Nana and Gran, and it will be the perfect place to bring Mary up if we don't have to worry about tourists. It's near a large, sandy beach, and the town will have everything that we'll want."  
"What about the houses for sale?" I ask. Alistair hands me a pile he collected.  
"The first house is a three-bedroom house, which might not suit us, especially as it's also in the middle of the town. We might want something on the outskirts. All but one of the houses are in the centre of the town." Alistair pulls out the last house.

"This one has six bedrooms," Sky says. "The attic also has enough space to convert into two bedrooms if needed, and there's a cellar."  
"Look, there's a big garden too," Alistair points at the picture. "There's also an orchard so we can grow some of our own food like apples and strawberries."  
"Why don't we visit both houses before we decide on one we like," I suggest. I check a map, to find that Lightdale is closer than Howard's Point as Howard's Point is near York. "Howard's Point is further away, so we might want to do that first." My children agree.

As we all stand on Bannerman Road for the last time, my brother, my mums, my children and me. Slowly, Kate approaches us. "We salvaged what we could. It's not a lot, but I said that you should have them." She passes us two boxes, one for my parents, one for me and my children. Mum and Mummy's box is full of photographs, the remains of Mr Smith and Owly.  
"Owly made it," I smile. Mummy nods, pulling the toy out of the box and passing it to Sky.  
"The new generation should look after her. After all, it's by passing our stories down that we are remembered." I nod, smiling. Checking my box, I feel shocked.

My diary is in there. Alistair holds the box as I glance through it. It's still intact. My box is also full of photographs; a couple of them have Lucy in. I blink unshed tears away, knowing that I have to be healthy for my children. A few books are in there, too. Books that belong to my children and me. Many of them were damaged too severely from the explosion, Kate tells me, but she was able to salvage a few of them. "Thank you," I tell Kate.  
"The jeeps will drive you to wherever you want to go," she tells us before she says goodbye to us.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Luke asks.  
"Oh, you need to get back to Oxford, young man," Mum says. "We'll be fine, especially as we'll be together."  
"Yeah, about that…" Jessie says. "We're not going to be together."  
"What?" Mummy asks, astounded.  
"We found a couple of places that we like, which we're going to check out. One of them is near York, whereas the other is a couple of hours away from Foxgrove, where you two will be. Besides, Mummy's going to adopt Mary, and as you'll adopt a boy, it's not going to work out. Mary and the boy will never get along, so it will be better if we don't live together."  
"Jessie's right," I say. "Sorry."  
"It's fine," Mummy says, but I can see tears in her eyes. "You should live your lives. Don't let us hold you back, okay?" I nod, silent.

"We'd better get going," Alistair says. "The soldiers are getting a little impatient," Luke says goodbye before he drives back to Oxford. I take one last look at Bannerman Road before Mum and Mummy say goodbye before they walk into one of the jeeps. We wave goodbye as it sets off.

I turn back, wiping my tears away. Maybe it's time to start a new life. "Are you ready, Mummy?" Sky asks. I'm the only parent who looks after them entirely. It's time that I take full responsibility for my children.  
"As ready as I'll ever be," I say, turning to my children. "Lucy will want us to go on, won't she?" They nod. "Right, then." We climb into the jeep. I sit in the front, while my children sit in the back. "Can you take us to a hotel near Howard's Point?"  
"Yes, Ma'am," the jeep pulls away.

Goodbye, Bannerman Road.

A/N: For me, this feels like the best place to leave Series 5. Series 6 will begin soon.

Thank you for reading my fanfiction, and if you've enjoyed it, please favourite it, or leave a comment down below. Reading your comments always makes me smile.  
CeriseHood5050


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